Category: Gift guide

Hey hey, it’s mother’s day!

What are you getting for that special lady in your life? I know, it’s a dumb hallmark holiday, but you bet I’m taking advantage. I’m writing this post to help you find mother’s day gifts that don’t suck. NO BATH BOMBS, husbands. NO BATH BOMBS. And also to assist my own husband in finding me the perfect gift. I don’t want him to stress out too much.

What can I say, I’m a giver.

Time alone

Take the baby and give her some time to herself. To do … whatever.

Yoga. Binge on Netflix. Stare blankly into space.

My dream life.

Sleep. Sit at a coffee shop and slowly sip a latte and leisurely read a book. Pee alone. Cook or do laundry without ‘help’. Literally, whatever.

Note: This is the gift I want most pretty much all the time, but this won’t work for all mamas. We all have different comfort levels around how soon and how long we can be away from the baby. You probably know where the mama in your life falls on the spectrum; if not, ask her partner.

Time with you

If your mother is not a NEW mother, meaning if you’re not a baby, give her the gift of your presence. Take her to lunch, take her for a massage, most importantly, BE NICE TO HER.

Or, if she recently became a grandma, give her the baby and GET OUT OF THE WAY.

Instant MILF Milk Bath!

Ahah I know, I just said don’t give her bath stuff. But, there’s an exception to every rule. Becky sent me these (delicious, hilarious) milk baths and the sheer joy I experienced reading the names and descriptions was as good as that soak.

Donate to a political candidate that won’t punish her for being a mother.

I’m a little enraged by all this healthcare business. All I can say is, take care of mothers by literally helping to make sure mothers get taken care of. If you don’t have the cash money to give, then use your voice to speak up for women and mothers.

Mackenzie is officially 11 months old, meaning I’ve made it as a mom for almost a year. That milestone is hitting me harder than I expected. The year has gone by so fast in so many ways… and so slowly in others. The old saying “the nights are long but the months are fast” is so true.

I feel like it’s taken me this long to get a handle on my new lifestyle: adjusting my routines, my expectations, my priorities. After years of it really just being all about me, making the shift to being decidedly NOT first priority is tough.

This gift guide is all about getting things for new moms—because yes, I absolutely still consider myself a new mom—that are actually for them, but that make their lives easier and brighter within the context of their babies. So you won’t find any dream gifts in here. Because a weekend ALONE is out of reach right now. Just real-life gifts that will make her feel a little more sane. 🙂

And, most importantly, ALL of these gifts are for her, not for the baby. Because she’s still her own person, dammit.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced this year is major decision fatigue. Oh, and regular fatigue, too. Getting dressed in the morning is HARD, not least because you’re still working with a closet in which most of your pre-baby stuff doesn’t fit, and you wore your one pair of maternity jeans so often you want to BURN THEM. Literally. I have violent thoughts about my pregnancy clothes – my wardrobe was so limited that I passionately hate everything I wore while pregnant.

But of course, shopping with a baby in tow is … not fun. I tried on jeans with Mac when she was new. I found myself surrounded by so many choices, and none of my pre-baby go-to brands or sizes quite fit my new body. It was like starting from scratch. So I hauled an armload of jeans into the dressing room, and wriggled my way in and out of that pile, all while Mac alternately snoozed and fussed in her Baby K’Tan.

And of course after all that (sweaty) work, I left empty handed.

There is a better way, y’all. Stitch Fix takes the hassle of shopping, and more importantly, of DECIDING, out of the picture. You get a few pieces each month picked by a stylist and keep what you like, send back what you don’t.

I’m all about outsourcing to the pros AND updating my wardrobe without having to brave a trip to the mall.

This would be great for expecting moms, too: they have a maternity line. Oh how I wish I’d taken advantage of that. There would be fewer bonfires happening over here… and that would be better for the environment. 😉

Sudden Coffee

I’ve always been a big coffee drinker, but never have I relied on the caffeine drip quite as much as I have this year. Not even in grad school, when I mainlined the dark stuff to the point where I had a capital P Problem.

A barista recently tipped me off to actually good instant coffee, and these little test tubes of actually good instant coffee have been lifesavers.

Aftershokz headphones

From conference calls to workouts, I literally can’t live without these. The end.

Baby Strong Workout

Postpartum fitness is a day-by-day adventure. Some days you escape for a real workout feel on top of the world (albeit with sore, shaky muscles) and other days you are lucky to count pacing with a sleepless baby as your exercise for the day, all while scarfing down suspect-looking leftovers in a hangry moment of desperation.

This deck of workouts from Baby Strong helps me fit in a little strength training while I’m hanging out with Mac. It also saves me from decision fatigue, because there is nothing better than having someone else tell you what to do when you are running on an hour of sleep.

This one may look like a strange addition to this list. If you’re thinking, WTF happened to fruitcakes and bath products; who gives people hammers for Christmas? I don’t blame you. But hear me out.

When my core hammer showed up, I was having a MORNING. Like, why can’t I get a baby that sleeps in, or sleeps, at all? Why does my coffee go cold before I get a chance to drink it? CAN I GET SOME BREAKFAST UP IN HERE, BESIDES THE CRUSTED OATMEAL SMEARED ALL OVER MAC’S FACE AND CLOTHES AND MY WALLS AND FLOORS?

Yeah, one of those mornings.

Then this giant, heavy package shows up, and, I swear to you, just taking the core hammer out of the box made me feel like a conquering warrior. A mother of dragons.

It was just the boss-babe boost I needed.

Plus, how badass does this look under a tree? This will be the most talked-about gift of the year.

You can read my full review here, or just pull the trigger and be a boss babe. Save 10% on the MostFit Core Hammer with the code MFSW10.

Now if only I could get my dragon to eat her oatmeal instead of paint with it.

So there you have it. My top gifts for mom, unless, and only unless, you can give the gift of a weekend completely alone. Until then, these options will make her feel like herself again. 🙂

Stitch Fix, Baby Strong Workout, MostFit, and Aftershokz are all Fit Approach partners. Opinions and fire-starting tendencies are my own. I so appreciate your support of brands who partner with the Sweat Pink community! #sweatpinkpartner

Just like the season for Christmas decorations and music seems to extend year after year, so too does the season for discounted shopping. I could take or leave Christmas music (okay, actually, I could just leave it), but the extended shopping discounts season is something I can 100% rally behind.

And today, TODAY ONLY, is a perfect chance to get a gift for the fitness-lover in your life that they’ll love AND that you can customize for them.

1. Build Your Own BOSU Flash Sale

Today only, BOSU is offering a flash sale (15% off!) their Build Your Own BOSU. That means you can customize colors to your heart’s content. It’s not often you can get a big ticket item that’s also customizable, so this BOSUis a perfect way to show your fitness loving special someone that you know their favorite sports team’s colors, or how important it is that their fitness gear matches their shoes or their car.

ActivMotion Bars are the ultimate in forcing your core to work harder—the hollow weighted bars are partially filled with shifting ball bearings, meaning you’re constantly having to stabilize the bar while you work out. It’s super efficient strength training.

3. Designer Protein

Designer Protein is offering daily deals until 12/6 as part of their 12 Days of Giving. Today’s deal:

Lite Mini Meal is the same low-calorie protein product you love, now in a meal replacement. Try it out today for 40% off! Use code: LITE40

Follow them on Facebook or check DesignerProtein.com each day for the daily deal! Best thing is, 12% of proceeds to go feed the homeless, so you’re doing good for your body and the world.

Or, you can also use the code SWEATPINK30 for 30% off everything. (Hint: the Gourmet Chocolate Whey is delicious.) So there, lots of options. 🙂

So GO, jump on it, cross off the fitness-lover on your list, and get back to jamming to your Christmas music, hanging up your lights, or practicing your grinch scowl.